


Miscommunication is a Bitch

by Gabi_type_creature



Category: Hello Puppets (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Game, Daisy Danger is tired of her pining coworkers, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Human AU, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabi_type_creature/pseuds/Gabi_type_creature
Summary: Nick realizes he has a crush on Riley, and being the competent, capable adult that he is- aw, who are we kidding? They're both terrible at talking to each other.
Relationships: Nick Nack/Riley Ruckus
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Miscommunication is a Bitch

Nick flops over onto Riley’s desk with an exaggerated wail. "It's over, my career as an artist is finished!"

"It's really not." She sighs, tugging her papers out from underneath him.

"I haven't been able to create a single thing all week!"

"Not true. You've created a lot of noise, plenty of overdramatic whining, and delays in my experiments." Nick pauses for a second before rolling over, resting his chin on his palms.

"A good friend would be more understanding." He huffs, making a face when she pokes his cheek with her pencil.

"Well as your friend, I'm telling you to suck it up and make stuff anyway. It doesn't matter if it's good or successful as long as you work through it.” He still looks pouty so she pokes his cheek again. “No one’s denying you have talent, you know.”

Nick rolls his eyes. “Always  _ so _ logical, aren’t you?”

“I mean… yeah. It’s kind of what I do.”

He shoots her a glare before muttering under his breath, “What you  _ do  _ is create a lot of unnecessary—“

“Ruckus?” Riley finishes for him with a smirk. “Obviously. It’s in my name. But you’re missing what I’m saying. The point is, not everything you do has to be perfect! Don’t be afraid to make some mistakes!”

Nick scoffs. “You’re one to talk.”

“Really? Do you know how many things have blown up in my face?” She absently rubs at a soot mark on the wood as she talks. “And did any of those stop me from trying?”

"I don't like how you're turning that back around on me."

"Did it???"

Nick rolls his eyes. "Nooooo."

"So again, as your  _ friend _ , get out and go fail at your work. It'll be fine." Riley shoves him off the desk and he lands easily on his feet with a huff.

“But—”

“No “buts”, mister. Get that moody little head back on your shoulders and start painting again.” She gets up and ushers him out of the lab. “And besides, you can’t improve if you don’t fail.” He’s about to try and get the last word when the laboratory door slams shut.

Nick tries and sure enough, the painting's not great... and that's okay. He makes a couple more not-great paintings before getting back into his usual stride, but he doesn't show Riley the first good one.

It would be a bit embarrassing to show a portrait of her.

Crushes when you do art for a living are hard to hide. When Nick realizes that Oh, there's a  _ reason _ he's been sketching her in his downtime, he panics and maybe tears out the last three pages of his sketchbook. He can't go to her and complain about it as he would with almost everything else, so he does the next best thing and asks Daisy for advice. The next best thing turns out to be a terrible decision because she suggests he actually DO something about it.

“Are you  _ insane _ ?!” He screeches, tugging at his hair as he paces. “I’m not telling her a thing! Can’t I just admire her from afar and leave it at that??”

Daisy laughs and sets two mugs on the kitchen counter- tea for the artist and coffee for her. "Nicholas Nack, you know I love ya to bits, but bless your heart if you ain't dumber than a box of rocks."

He skids to a stop. "Hey!"

“I don’t mean to insult, I’m just sayin!” Daisy laughs and pats his shoulder. "Trust me hun, you should talk to her."

“I don’t even know if she feels the same way! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the art studio where I won’t be able to see her  _ or _ take your advice. Which I’m not. Doing.” Then he turns on his heel and leaves Daisy’s kitchen.

She shakes her head and dumps the tea down the sink.

For the next week, Nick stops barging in on Riley while she’s working- in fact, he stops talking to her altogether. His motivation deteriorates again, but he doesn’t do anything about it. It does hurt a bit to be blocking out one of his closest friends, but he convinces himself that it's only until this- this  _ childish _ crush goes away.

And then Riley confronts him.

She’s standing outside his studio one morning before he’s even clocked in for the day. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"What!? Who, me? Why would I be doing that?”

Riley raises an eyebrow. "I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

“I would never do such a thing!” Nick puts on an even more dramatic display of being insulted than usual. She responds by crossing her arms and glaring up at him.

“I haven’t seen you in days, Nick.”

"I thought you wanted me to bother you less?" And wow, that came out a lot harsher than he meant to.

"Yeah less, not stop completely!"

Nick smirks, eager to shift the conversation away from the fact that he’d indeed been avoiding her. “So you  _ like _ it when I bother you?”

“Wha— That’s beside the point!!” She sputters and flushes red, and he idly thinks 'cute' before squashing it back down.

“I’m not hearing a no~”

Riley covers her face with her hands and lets out a muffled scream. “ _ You’re impossible! _ ”

“Takes one to know one!” He brushes past her and shuts the door, locking it behind him.

It's too quiet for the next few days- no explosions from Riley's lab, no music being played in Nick's studio. He feels bad about just brushing her off, but it’s only until he gets over this.

Unfortunately, Daisy finds out, and she almost boils over when Nick tells her what happened. "You did what?!"

"She was questioning me, what was I supposed to do?" He yelps when she grabs him by the shoulders and starts shaking.

"Actually tell her? Apologize? Anything but that! I can’t  _ believe  _ what an immature, emotionally stunted, dense son of a-” Her rant devolves into a series of incomprehensible outraged noises, and Nick quickly puts distance between them. After a minute or two she seems to mellow out and says, in an entirely too calm voice: “Nicholas Nathaniel Nack, you better go tell that poor woman what’s going on.”

“Like hell I am.” He grumbles, then catches sight of her icy glare. 

"I swear if you don’t march yourself down there and apologize right this minute I will tell her."

"No, you can't!"

"Then figure it out,” Daisy growls, jabbing a finger at his chest. “And make it quick. I'm tired of both of you complaining to me."

“Wait. What do you mean, both of us?”

"Figure it out." Daisy storms out, and Nick gulps. She wouldn’t actually go through with- who is he kidding, of course she would. He has to do it.

For once he's quiet when he enters the lab- quiet enough that Riley doesn't actually hear him. He's about to speak when he actually sees her. She's sitting on the floor, surrounded by dozens of crumpled papers and one very large dog draped across her lap. Riley has her face buried in Rosco's fur, but it's still clear as day when she says "I just wish I knew what I did  _ wrong _ .”

The gigantic golden dog boofs, gently nudging her hand, and she continues as if he responded. “Why else would he be avoiding me if I didn’t do something wrong? You know what I mean?” She still hasn’t looked up from Rosco. Nick stands frozen in the doorway.

"I- I don't want to lose him because of some stupid mistake." Her voice is raw from emotion and his heart sinks when he realizes just how badly he fucked it up. Nick slowly, quietly makes his way across the room and sits down next to her. Riley tenses up when she hears him but she doesn't lift her head. It's up to him.

"... I'm sorry."

That makes Riley lift her head, and she blinks in confusion. “What? Why? ...You didn’t do anything.”

"Neither did you." He sighs. "I wasn't avoiding you because of anything you did Riley. I was scared I would screw over what we had and in the process... I pushed you away." She stares at him for a moment before a slow grin creeps onto her face.

"Who are you and what have you done with Nick?"

"I'm trying to be serious!"

"Right, right, sorry." She laughs and shakes her head. “You may continue.”

"It wasn’t fair of me to make my problems your fault. I… I care a lot about you Riley, and I'm sorry that I was avoiding you."

The grin turns into something softer, sweeter, and his heart feels like it's about to pound out of his chest. “You’re sweet. And hey...don’t be sorry. I mean, I wasn’t avoiding you–” She grimaces. “Not that I get out of here very often anyway, but there was… I mean—” Riley puts her head in her hands, groaning. “ _ Why _ can’t this conversation be an equation? I’m terrible with emotions!”

"I get that." Nick puts a hand on her shoulder in a weak attempt at comfort. This should be so easy. It's just three words and then this whole thing can be over and done with. "Riley I-"

"I have feelings for you." She says suddenly. "I know you most likely don't feel the same- trust me, I've run the numbers- but I don't want to let miscommunication ruin anything else." She looks up at him and smiles sadly. "You can leave now if you want to."

For a moment, there’s only silence. Nick just stares, trying to process what the scientist just said. “ _ Riley. Catastrophe. Ruckus. _ ” He springs from his spot on the floor and begins pacing around the lab, gesturing almost erratically. “All this time I’ve been avoiding somebody who felt the same way?!”

Riley gawks at him for a moment before hastily shoving Rosco off of her legs so she can stand. She grabs his wrist as he paces, stopping him in his tracks. "You're not joking?"

"No?! Why would I possibly-" And suddenly she’s kissing him. It’s not perfect like some fairytale ending- not by a long shot- but the arms wrapped around his neck and the fact that he can feel her smiling against his lips sets off fireworks in his brain all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Gabi here! This wouldn't exist without my lovely co-creator flyingthroughthemoonlight, and I appreciate her so much for it! If you have questions, comments, complaints, criticism, please leave them below! Compliments are also welcome UwU


End file.
